Awareness is like the sun. When it shines on things, they are transformed.

Thich nhat hanh

Behind 85for85 is the idea that sharing your voice on an issue will not only encourage others to share their own, but also lead to more widespread awareness about happenings within our society that have faded from the media’s spotlight, things that still matter, things that need us to do something about them. We hope that this awareness will truly lead to transformation for the benefit of all. In this regard, read on to learn more about the lands we are defending with our art, and take some time to explore the other amazing sources we’ve found on the issue.

Stand With Bears Ears

Bears Ears National Monument was 1.35 million acres of beautiful, wild lands in southeast Utah. It was established as a national monument by President Obama on December 28, 2016, after five tribes came together unified as The Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition to propose its creation. The desire for this land to be protected, however, goes back for years. It is land rich with history and culture, resources that are priceless, archaeological treasures still undiscovered, and a sacred connection that can hardly be put into words.

Now Bears Ears National Monuments boundaries only surround approximately 201,876 acres, a devastating reduction of 85%. Please let that sink in.

Photos by Mika Parajon

Save Grand Staircase-Escalante

On September 18, 1996, President Clinton proclaimed the establishment of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, an area of about 1.7 million acres. This was the largest national monument created and with good reason. The areas marked by the boundary hold a geological treasure trove of paleontological discoveries, biological diversity across five different ecological zones, and irreplaceable threads of human history. Imbued with wildness, this land is still ripe for discovery on so many levels.

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is now reduced to approximately 1 million acres, nearly 50% smaller than it once was.

Photos By Mika Parajon

Monuments For All

In December 2017, we witnessed the largest reduction of protected land in history. Supposedly, this was an action of giving the land back to the people. We recognize the reality that the reduction of the national monuments was an illegal move. It diminished the preservation of these spaces that hold so much more than the eye can see. It was an action of little respect for land and all who hold it as sacred. The decision received immediate legal push-back by Native American Tribes and conservation groups. They are still fighting and so we are supporting their fight.